Updated 09/05/2012 12:33 AM
San Antonio Mayor's Speech A Historic First For DNC
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Eight years ago, Barack Obama burst onto the national stage when he gave the keynote address at the Democratic convention. On Tuesday, that honor fell to Julian Castro, the young mayor of San Antonio, who is seen as one of the party's rising stars. NY1's Bobby Cuza filed the following report.It was supposed to be Julian Castro's coming-out party.
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivered the keynote address Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention. He spoke about his unusual road to where he is today and how the plans brought forth at last week's RNC aren't what America needs.
The 37-year-old is seen as a bright young hope for the Democrats. Some have even called him the Hispanic Barack Obama. But he spent much of his keynote speech Tuesday night defending Obama's record and assailing Mitt Romney.
"The Romney/Ryan budget doesn't just cut public education, cut Medicare, cut transportation and cut job training," he said. "It doesn't just pummel the middle class. It dismantles it."
Castro was introduced by his identical twin brother Joaquin, himself a state legislator and candidate for Congress. Raised by a single mother, herself a prominent Latino rights advocate, theirs is a classic success story.
"My grandmother was an orphan," Castro said. "As a young girl, she had to leave her home in Mexico and move to San Antonio."
Now, Julian Castro is the city's mayor, the youngest big-city mayor in the country. He's also an asset in winning the increasingly-important Hispanic vote.
It's no accident that the Republicans, too, spotlighted young Latino leaders. Tuesday, Castro referenced Obama's recent easing of deportation policy and called for passage of the Dream Act, granting residency to certain undocumented students.
"I believe in you," Castro said. "Barack Obama believes in you. Now it's time for Congress to enshrine in law their right to pursue their dreams in the only place they've ever called home: America."
As for what Castro will do with his new national profile, stay tuned. But it's likely Tuesday won't be the last you hear from Julian Castro.